https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Seeta_Devi_%28actress%29Seeta Devi (actress) - Revision history2026-08-18T06:29:19ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seeta_Devi_(actress)&diff=469712&oldid=prevRobctr: correct structure and added references2026-01-24T17:15:01Z<p>correct structure and added references</p>
<a href="//en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seeta_Devi_(actress)&diff=469712&oldid=198711">Show changes</a>Robctrhttps://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seeta_Devi_(actress)&diff=198711&oldid=prev>Auramstate: Importing Wikidata short description: "Indian actress (1912–1983)" (Shortdesc helper)2021-02-13T09:17:13Z<p>Importing Wikidata <a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/Bharatpedia:Short_description" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:Short description">short description</a>: "Indian actress (1912–1983)" (<a href="https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/Bharatpedia:Shortdesc_helper" class="extiw" title="wikipedia:Shortdesc helper">Shortdesc helper</a>)</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian actress (1912–1983)}}<br />
{{refimprove|date=February 2013}}<br />
[[File:Seeta Devi as Gopa in Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia) 1925.jpg|thumb|Seeta Devi in her debut film: ''[[Prem Sanyas]]'' (1925)]]<br />
'''Seeta''' (or '''Sita''') '''Devi''' (1912–1983), born '''Renee Smith''', was one of the early stars of [[silent films]] in the [[Indian Cinema|Indian film industry]].<ref name="hansen">{{cite journal|title=Stri Bhumika: Female Impersonators and Actresses on the Parsi Stage|last=Hansen|first=Kathryn|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|date=29 August 1998|volume=33|issue=35|jstor=4407133}}</ref><br />
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==Career==<br />
[[Image:Seeta Devi as Gopa in film, Prem Sanyas (The Light of Asia) 1925.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Seeta Devi as Gopa in secene from film, ''[[Prem Sanyas]]'' (''The Light of Asia'') 1925]]<br />
[[Himanshu Rai]] cast Smith, an [[Anglo-Indian]], in ''[[Prem Sanyas]]'', the movie which is better known by its English title: ''The Light of Asia''. This was her debut film as Seeta Devi, and it made her a star immediately. Later she acted under the banner of [[Madan Theatre]]s as well.<br />
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Three of her most successful films were: ''The Light of Asia'', ''Shiraz'', and ''Prapancha Pash''. All three of these films were made through the collaboration of German film director [[Franz Osten]] and Indian actor-producer Himanshu Rai along with [[Bavaria]]n company '''Emelka'''.<ref>[http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001341/134149eo.pdf "Indian Films and Western Audiences", an article by Jerzy Toeplitz, from Unesco website]</ref> This unique [[trilogy]] were connected to three different religions and based on three different stories of Indian history/mythology: ''The Light of Asia'' was based on the life of [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]], ''Shiraz'' was based on construction of the [[Taj Mahal]] and ''Prapancha Pash'', better known by its English title ''[[A Throw of Dice]]'', was based on a story from the [[Mahabharata]]. Seeta Devi was the leading actress in all these three films, though the role in ''Shiraz'' was that of 'the other woman'.<br />
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Three of her other successful films, ''Durgesh Nandini'', ''Kapal Kundala'' and ''Krishnakanter Will'' were based on popular novels of [[Bankim Chandra Chatterjee]].<br />
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Many believed that Renee Smith and her sister Percy Smith alternatively appeared as 'Seeta Devi'.<ref name="hansen"/><ref>[http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/slideshows/20s/20-4.htm A slideshow from Hindustan Times website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080523012330/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/slideshows/20s/20-4.htm |date=2008-05-23 }}</ref><br />
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==Filmography==<br />
* [[Prem Sanyas]] (1925) (German title: Die Leuchte Asiens, English title: The Light of Asia)<br />
* Krishnakanter Will (1926)<br />
* Durgesh Nandini (1927)<br />
* [[Shiraz (film)|Shiraz]] (1928) (German title: Das Grabmal einer großen Liebe)<br />
* Sarala (1928) (Hindi title: Swarnalata)<br />
* Loves of a Moghul Prince (1928) (Urdu title: Anarkali; also 'Rajmahal Ni Ramani')<br />
* Bhrantri (1928) (English title: Mistake)<br />
* Kapal Kundala (1929)<br />
* [[Prapancha Pash]] (1929) (English title: A Throw of Dice, German title: Schicksalswürfel)<br />
* Bharat Ramani (1930) (English title: The Enchantress of India)<br />
* Kal Parinaya (1930) (English title: Fatal Marriage)<br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{commons category|Seeta Devi}}<br />
* {{IMDb name|id=0222489|name=Seeta Devi}}<br />
* [http://www.throwofdice.com/home.html/ Website on re-release of ''A Throw of Dice'']<br />
* [http://www.abasar.net/filmOthers.htm#seetaa Bengali article from abasar.net]<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Devi, Seeta}}<br />
[[Category:1905 births]]<br />
[[Category:1983 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali actresses]]<br />
[[Category:Indian silent film actresses]]<br />
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]<br />
[[Category:People of British India]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]<br />
[[Category:Actresses from West Bengal]]</div>>Auramstate